Jacuzzi Perfecta Toilet Problems

Hi, I bought a Jacuzzi Perfecta toilet last week for my camp and I have been having problems with it. When I flush it, it flushes very weak. Very little water comes out of the syphon jet. I have seen videos of these toilets and the toilet I have is very weak compared to this. Is there a way to keep the flapper up longer, or some way to make the flush stronger? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

I realize this is for your "camp" which I assume is like a summer cottage or perhaps as hunting get away so will not be frequently used. But, your problem lie in the fact this this toilet is what is commonly referred to as a "builder's special". This mean a very cheap fixture that builders buy to install in their spec homes. Many plumbers make a pretty good living replacing these within a few months after the home is sold. There isn't much you can do about it short of replacing it with a better quality toilet. One toilet that would work very well is the Toto Drake. These are not expensive, but are real work horses.

EDIT: So now I realize that the video above was one that Terry was nice enough to add so you could see what was normal.

So all my original talk below about "it seems normal" needs to be revised.

So this is what I will leave you with:

(1) Don't get excited about putting more water in the flush It isn't going to help. Everyone with a poorly-performing 1.6gpf toilet asks "Can I get more water in the flush?" That's what I did for years with a horrible Kohler lo-flo. All it does is fill the bowl up more and still doesn't give the flush "power". the only way to make it work better was to hit it with a sledgehammer and replace it.

(2) I would check and make sure that, first, you are starting with enough water in the bowl. Is the hose from the fill valve spraying into the refill riser? Try adding some water to the bowl and see if it settles to where it is now at the start point after a few minutes, or whether it stays higher. If it stays higher, then you're not getting enough refill, and the usual reason is the one I mentioned. Also make sure the toilet is level; if it's off-level enough, you could be losing some refill water over the weir because it's tilted back.

(3) You might want to make sure there's nothing in the trapway (or it could be defective if the toilet is new), and that your drain line is clear -- i.e. not blocked by wax that was just used to install the toilet.

(4) Maybe even as the first step, check to see how much water the tank is starting with. I don't know this toilet in particular, but you usually want the water level to be about 1/2" to 3/4" below the top of the overflow riser. If it's much lower than that, adjust the fill valve so you start with a little more water in the tank. It may cut off quickly, but the extra volume in the tank gives a little more push to the flush. My toto only uses about 1/3 of the tank in the flush, but it starts high so there is force exerted on the water that does go through the valve.

Let us know how you are doing, and we'll try to keep helping.

PS For comparison, here's how a properly-flushing Drake looks, and believe me that's enough to flush a lot of waste. Note how much more power there is in the flush over the normal Jacuzzi, even with the same water usage:

EDIT: So now I realize that the video above was one that Terry was nice enough to add so you could see what was normal.

So all my original talk below about "it seems normal" needs to be revised.

So this is what I will leave you with:

(1) Don't get excited about putting more water in the flush It isn't going to help. Everyone with a poorly-performing 1.6gpf toilet asks "Can I get more water in the flush?" That's what I did for years with a horrible Kohler lo-flo. All it does is fill the bowl up more and still doesn't give the flush "power". the only way to make it work better was to hit it with a sledgehammer and replace it.

I have held the handle down so it uses more water and it does flush better. And I paid $98 for it and I am not paying $250 to replace it with a Drake. I mean, I would do it if I could, but there aren't any places around here to get one.

Some things in life come cheap, but they don't always provide satisfaction. To get a decent toilet, generally, you need to spend more for it than you did. The adage 'you get what you paid for' comes to mind.